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{
    "id": 26326,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/26326/?format=api",
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    "content": "Therefore, members of this board, except where there are offices of government, must be approved by the National Assembly. We must know these men and women, whom we are entrusting the entire nation to because we will know who is a citizen by registration by this Board. The job is too important to be left to appointment by the Cabinet Secretary. I propose that later on, it be amended to include approval by Parliament. I am also thinking that this Board should only be managing at policy level, so that the Director- General is the day-to-day person. Where we have failed to specify that, we have seen turf wars between chairmen of boards and the day-to-day officers. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am also suggesting that instead of having the Government officers and then five other persons, why not reduce them to three other persons, so that the entire Board will be seven people instead of nine? We would even prefer fewer, but because these will be Government offices, let us have three others. We must really learn to have lean and mean organizations rather than bloated ones. We are coming from a Cabinet of 40 to one of 24. Let us not go to No.9. Let us try to restrict ourselves to small numbers as much as possible. The other issue I have already mentioned. If you look at Clause 7, I am saying it should be clear that the Board will be only for purposes of policy. Where the Board has been given the power to determine issues of citizenship and approval of anything to do with registration, let us not operate by committees. The moment you give individuals discretion, you create an opportunity for rent seeking. This Board should come up with a criteria that is very clear on how these matters should be processed; then the officers of this particular Service under the Director-General will apply those policies and the criteria. The Board can then be auditing their work from time-to-time. Too much discretion leads to too much corruption. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the other point I have seen in this Bill is that we must create offences. These people are going to be privy to such vital information. They are going to manage such sensitive affairs of the nation. We must have a clause that creates offences relating to deliberate flouting of the Constitution, or written laws, by members of this Service in relation to the information they will acquire by virtue of their office. We must also stop them from abusing their office, and allowing personal interests to cloud their work. Other than that, I think it is a Bill that will be of great benefit to this country. I beg to support subject to those suggested amendments."
}